play videoAmusa Gbadamosi presented a smock to Pele in 1969 after the match
Search for Accra Hearts of Oak vs Santos FC on the internet and the first picture you would probably see is that iconic photo of a Ghanaian player with Edson Arantes do Nascimento Pele of Brazil.
Well, that Ghanaian player in the picture is Amusa Gbadamosi, a former national asset who is not very known in this generation by most
Gbadamosi played for Accra Hearts of Oak and was part of the squad that played against Brazilian club Santos FC at the Accra Sports Stadium in 1969.
Hearts of Oak inked their name in history holding Santos FC to a 2-2 draw game.
In that famous match which has been described by historians as one of the greatest games played in Ghana, Hearts of Oak’s striker Abeka Ankrah struck first before Pele restored parity for Santos FC.
Ghana’s own ‘Pele’ Amusa Gbadamosi showed brilliance in the game and succeeded in scoring a goal against the Brazilian side to put the Phobians in the lead once again. However, the visitors managed to restore parity through midfielder Edu.
After the game, Gbadamosi presented a smock to the legendary Brazilian Pele and that photo has been embroidered in the history of Ghanaian football.
Gbadamosi described the game against Santos as one of his best games ever played.
“Meeting Pele of Brazil was one of those moments because I had that name Pele too before they came to Ghana,” the Ghanaian Pele told TV3.
“It was quite interesting but unfortunately, their goalkeeper was not that good. The sort of goal I scored him, he shouldn’t have allowed me to have scored.”
He added: “Pele was Pele and Amusa Gbadamosi was also Ghana’s Pele. It was great.”
Amusa Gbadamosi who has been described by many Ghanaian football historians as one of the legends to have graced the football pitch had a short stint with Kwame Nkrumah’s clubs, Republicans before moving on to play for Accra Hearts of Oak.
However, after a steller period with the Rainbow club, Gbadamosi joined Hearts of Oak’s sworn rivals, Asante Kotoko.
The striker won the 1965 Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana and was the most outstanding player in the 1968 Olympic Team.
The 78-year-old who played alongside Jone Atuquayefio, Malik Jabir, Ibrahim Sunday among others shares his story in a documentary with TV3.
